TOW All The Lobsters
by Cress
Summary: Joey:Chandler slash. Monica's pregnant and Joey has the blues. Alternate ending added.
1. The Group Pact

I'm currently stalled on continuing the Birthday Kisses story, so instead I'm posting a shorter story about the very end of Friends. It's mostly wishful thinking, and has a rather unorthodox ending. I wrote this story after season 8, but before season 9 ever aired, so there's nothing here about Tulsa or Mike (the most unbelievably bland guy I've ever seen Phoebe date).  
  
This takes place when Emma is a year old, and the following things have happened: Ross and Rachel are back together, and have a happy family with their baby; Phoebe's scientist guy David has returned for good from Minsk, and they're in love; Chandler and Monica are expecting a baby, and Joey is a successful actor.  
  
If you don't get the "lobster" references, watch TOW The Prom Video, where Phoebe calls Ross and Rachel a pair of lobsters.  
  
  
  
  
  
TOW All The Lobsters  
  
Part 1: The Group Pact  
  
The girls threw Monica a baby shower/slumber party at Phoebe's apartment, on the last night before Phoebe would move in with David. Ross and David were busy babysitting Emma and Ben.  
  
So Chandler was home alone that night when Joey came over, looking depressed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Chandler sat with him on the couch.  
  
Joey said he was sad now that everyone had found their "lobster" except him. "I'm still single, and I know I'm not young anymore." His seven sisters were already married, and all his friends were coupled off too.  
  
Chandler was surprised that Joey felt this way; he never seemed ready to settle down.  
  
Joey replied that his crush on Rachel had changed him; he was long over her now, but he was still lonely and realized that he really wanted someone to grow old with. He was tired of sleeping with an endless stream of women and still feeling empty inside.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" Joey sighed miserably. "Phoebe was my backup, and she's back with David. I struck out with Rachel, and now I've got nothing left."  
  
Chandler smiled at his simplicity. "Phoebe and Rachel are not your only choices, Joey! You just have to meet someone. It takes time."  
  
"Time! Any more time, and I'll end up with Janice!"  
  
Chandler shuddered at the thought. "Joey, it's not that bad! Look, maybe you'll move to Hollywood soon and meet some beautiful actress or model there."  
  
"Eh." Joey wasn't interested.  
  
"Eh? Who are you and what have you done with Joey?"  
  
"I don't wanna move to Hollywood. I wanna stay here with all my friends and my family. I love you guys."  
  
"And we love you," he answered with a smile. "Don't worry, we'll come visit you, and you can visit us."  
  
"It won't be the same!"  
  
Chandler shrugged. "Well, okay, stay here if you want. There still might be some girls left in New York that you haven't dated yet."  
  
"No, look, I don't want anyone new! That's what I learned with Rachel all over again. I want what you and Monica have--the knowing each other completely, the friendship, the trust. If there was just some way I could get all that, instantly!"  
  
"It can't be instant--"  
  
"Hey, you told me all this already! You think I don't listen? Remember when I had that dream that Monica was my girlfriend? You guys told me to try making friends with women first, but when I did that, they just wanted to sleep with me. It didn't work!"  
  
Chandler nodded. "I know, but--" He shrugged, unable to explain. "Look if *I* could find a woman to marry me, you definitely will! Maybe you'll get back together with some girl you already met, like Kate, or Kathy, or Kasey, or Katie, or Krista. --Sorry, I can't help it."  
  
"Hey, that's just you making fun of me. There was Ginger, and Janine, and, and, Felicity, Erin, Ursula--"  
  
"Ursula!" Chandler stopped laughing. "Don't even think about it. Phoebe would be so upset if you went back to her."  
  
"I know. She's trouble anyway. I want somebody who really cares about me, not some kind of... evil twin."  
  
"Just trust me, Joey, if you keep trying, you'll get the hang of it eventually."  
  
"Eventually! How does that help me now?" Joey groaned. "Aw, why couldn't we have stayed six, perfect six? All even, you know, with like a group pact to be together at the end."  
  
"A group pact?" Chandler shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious, Joey."  
  
"I know, I know!" he said in defeat. "We never agreed to that, and Phoebe can't help falling in love outside the group. I'm totally happy for her; he's her soul mate and everything. I know I'm being selfish, but I'm just feeling stranded here. Don't lecture me, Chandler; just tell me it's gonna be all right, okay?"  
  
"Okay." Chandler hugged Joey and whispered, "It's gonna be all right, buddy."  
  
That comforted Joey a little, and Chandler offered him a beer. Joey nodded and Chandler got out a six pack from the fridge. He set the beers on the table in front of the couch and put out the necessary coasters, and a trash bag. Monica had trained him well.  
  
To cheer Joey up, Chandler turned on the TV and put some porn on, as the stay-at-home equivalent of visiting a strip joint. Then he settled back on the couch with Joey, and they watched it for hours. Joey fell asleep with his head on Chandler's shoulder. 


	2. The Sleep Over

This part refers extensively to the episode TOW The Boobies, where Joey's father stays overnight at the guys' apartment, along with his mistress. It also mentions Chandler's breakup with Janice, in TOW The Giant Poking Device.  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 2: The Sleep Over  
  
Chandler finally turned off the TV and nudged Joey awake.  
  
Joey blinked and mumbled, "Hmm?"  
  
"Time to go to bed, Joey."  
  
Joey made a pitiful face. "Don't make me go back to that empty apartment!"  
  
"Of course you can stay the night, Joe. Just let me clean up first, and you can have the guest room."  
  
"Thanks." He gratefully helped Chandler clean up the mess and then followed him to the spare bedroom.  
  
Upon opening the door and seeing inside, Chandler smacked his head. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Monica's redecorating this room to make it into a nursery. She took away the guest bed already."  
  
"Oh, that's okay. I can crash on the couch."  
  
"You sure?" Then he got an idea. "Hey wait, you wanna--you wanna bunk with me?"  
  
Joey raised his eyebrows. "In your bed? Yours and Monica's? Wouldn't she mind?"  
  
"Come on, you and me are practically brothers!" he smiled. "Anyway, I don't sleep that well without Monica anymore, and you can keep her half of the bed warm." When he and Monica fought, Chandler often wound up sleeping on the guest bed, the couch, or even his old bed in Joey's apartment, if the fight was particularly bad. Wherever Chandler slept alone, he was always restless.  
  
Joey still found the idea of sleeping together odd, but he shrugged and went along with it. After all, he and Chandler had once shared a sofa bed when they were roommates, and Joey had even napped with Ross quite comfortably.  
  
Chandler led the way into the bedroom that he normally shared with his wife. "But no sleeping naked!" he warned, as he remembered Joey's sleeping habits. "I've got some pyjamas you can borrow, if you need them."  
  
Joey declined the offer, but promised to keep his boxers on.  
  
After undressing, they climbed into the bed on opposite sides, then said goodnight to each other and turned out the lights.  
  
Joey pensively lay awake in the darkness, thinking about the other time that they had shared a bed, and why. He finally spoke up sadly. "What's wrong with me, Chandler? Is it, is it 'cause I'm like my dad?"  
  
Chandler opened one eye, surprised and a little annoyed. He thought he'd sleep peacefully for once. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You know, me never settling down. My dad having a mistress..."  
  
Chandler opened both eyes in utter disbelief. "He's still seeing her?!"  
  
Joey nodded. "It's crazy. Ma and Pop and Ronnie just go on like there's nothing wrong, no matter what me or my sisters say. They tell us it's none of our business; they're happy."  
  
Chandler scoffed and felt sorry for the poor, screwed-up Tribbiani grandchildren. "How many years has it been?"  
  
"*Fifteen*! Nine that I've known about it."  
  
"How can he do that? How can your mom *let* him?"  
  
"I don't know! My dad just keeps telling me that he loves both of them, he can't help it, and if Ma doesn't mind, why should anybody else?"  
  
"What kind of garbage--!" he shook his head and sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Joe. I thought he would've come to his senses by now."  
  
Joey appreciated the sympathy, but something else troubled him about his father's affair. He asked hesitantly, "Do you... do you think it's really possible, Chandler?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Loving two different women at the same time? I don't mean just screwing around, because I know all about that. I mean the emotion, the love. You know, commitment, and soul mates, and lobsters, and all of that stuff."  
  
Chandler shook his head patiently. "It doesn't work that way, Joey."  
  
"What about when Janice was in love with you and her ex-husband at the same time? You believed her."  
  
"Yeah, but then we broke up and she went back to Gary. You have to commit to one or the other, Joey. This is why they outlawed bigamy."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
Chandler couldn't understand Joey's reaction. "Come on, you already know all this. You told me yourself that I should step aside and not break up their family."  
  
Joey nodded, but then he confessed quietly, "It's just that sometimes... sometimes I find myself believing my dad anyway. I don't know how, but he seems sincere to me, not just trying to make me forgive him or something. Do you think me believing him--me being like him--is why I want some kind of group pact?"  
  
Chandler was shocked. "You were serious? You--you want...?" After an awkward silence, Chandler rolled back over and firmly repeated his goodnight, pulling the covers over his head.  
  
Joey exhaled and realized that he better shut up about this group pact idea, no matter how much it stuck on his mind. Chandler was his best friend, but he clearly couldn't discuss or condone such a weird relationship; his own parents' divorce had been traumatic enough, and he just wanted things to be normal.  
  
What did Joey really want anyway? Was he just scared of ending up alone? Was he using his group of friends as a crutch? Which of his friends, if any, was he really in love with?  
  
***  
  
Joey fell into a fitful sleep that night. As he dreamed, he unconsciously shifted to Chandler's side of the bed and wrapped his arms close around him.  
  
Chandler half awakened with Joey's embrace and turned to kiss Joey warmly, murmuring "Monica" as he did so. Then he frowned, realizing that he was kissing someone else. He opened his eyes and started violently.  
  
"Whoa! What--what are you doing?" Chandler panicked.  
  
"What? Huh?" Joey rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Sorry, I must have rolled over here in my sleep." He rolled back over.  
  
"That's not all you did! You kissed me!"  
  
"I what?"  
  
"Well, I--" Chandler reluctantly admitted the truth. "You had your arms around me, and I thought you were Monica. I kissed you."  
  
"You did?" He tried to remember the last thing from his dream, but couldn't.  
  
"But--but only because I thought you were Monica. I would never--!" Chandler swallowed and his eyes widened. "Oh my God, what would have happened if I hadn't woken up?"  
  
Joey tried to calm him. "Nothing, nothing! Then I would've woken up instead. Nothing could just happen without one of us knowing it. I mean, there's sleepwalking, but there's no such thing as sleepkissing, or sleep... you know."  
  
Chandler did not feel any better. "You--you can't sleep here anymore. Get out."  
  
Joey quickly obeyed and retrieved his pile of clothes. "Okay, I'll go to the couch. Um, can I get a blanket?"  
  
Chandler threw him the comforter from the bed. "Get out!"  
  
So Joey returned to the living room and made up the couch to sleep on. He hoped that he had not freaked out Chandler too much. What with the kiss, and their weird talk last night, Chandler might think that Joey was coming onto him on purpose, and they would have to straighten out this mess in the morning, surely.  
  
Joey lay down on the couch with a sigh. As he pulled the comforter around him, he realized that he could smell Chandler's scent on it, and he was lying now where they had been sitting together. Strange that he noticed such details. Why exactly had he put his arms around Chandler in his sleep? Joey never cuddled with his one-night stands. He wasn't really coming onto Chandler, was he? Was he? 


	3. The Truth About Soul Mates

Part 3: The Truth About Soul Mates  
  
The next morning, Monica returned triumphant with her bags of baby shower presents. She saw Joey asleep on the couch and smiled, finding him adorable. After putting the bags inside the nursery, she came back and leaned over Joey. "Hey, Joey! You wanna stay for breakfast?"  
  
Joey blinked and sat up with a gasp. "Monica, you're home!"  
  
"Yep! So what do you say? Pancakes?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Thanks."  
  
"No problem! And while I do that, you gotta put my comforter back and go get dressed. Oh, and make sure you fix up my couch just like it was, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
She started for the kitchen just when Chandler emerged from the bedroom, looking as though he barely got any sleep.  
  
"Monica?"  
  
"Hey, sweetie!" she came over and kissed him. "You look all worn out. Did you and Joey stay up late together?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"Well, I hope you had fun at least. Ross said he missed you babysitting last night with David; you know, he really wanted to give you some more parenting tips." She laughed. "But I guess you two wanted some time alone, huh?"  
  
Chandler blushed, and Joey looked alarmed.  
  
Monica hit her husband's shoulder playfully. "Come on, your decision to make more time for Joey? You guys have one-track minds!" She laughed and headed to the kitchen, getting out the ingredients for the batter. "I have *such* a craving for pancakes."  
  
Joey looked at Chandler silently, then finally rose from the couch and went to the bathroom to dress and wash up.  
  
Without being asked, Chandler put the comforter back where it belonged and fixed up the couch the way Monica liked it. He knew the drill.  
  
As she cooked, Monica talked about the great time she had with the girls, and how they had gossiped about the guys just like in their younger, single days. She also described the morning after, when Phoebe happily moved in with David at last.  
  
Chandler responded to Monica's conversation in a distracted state, still lost in thoughts about the incident last night.  
  
Then Joey emerged from the bathroom, and the atmosphere became even more uncomfortable. He would have left, had he been able to come up with some excuse for why he would turn down free pancakes.  
  
When they all sat down to eat, Monica noticed Joey's quietness and asked him how his latest movie was going. Joey shrugged and said it was okay. So Monica let it go, and chattered about baby stuff instead.  
  
Joey finally left for his apartment, saying that he had to check on the birds.  
  
Chandler hesitated, then announced to Monica that he was going to visit the birds too.  
  
She smiled at his lame excuse. "Okay, sweetie, you spend as much guy time as you need with Joey before the baby gets here. Just shower the bird smell off you when you get back, okay?" She started to wash the dishes.  
  
He nodded docilely and went across the hall.  
  
***  
  
When Chandler knocked and came in, Joey was sitting in his recliner and thinking silently. He turned around and did not know what to say.  
  
Chandler spoke awkwardly. "It--it was my fault, you know. Me asking you to share the bed with me."  
  
Joey tried to shrug casually. "That's okay. I said yes. Even if we were brothers, I shouldn't have said that, right?"  
  
Chandler nodded, then sat down near Joey. "Um, can I, can I talk to you about that lobster thing? Soul mates and stuff?"  
  
"Uh, sure." Joey avoided meeting Chandler's eyes. "I'm, um, feeling much better now, so you don't have to worry about me. Plenty of fish in the sea. I'll find somebody. Give it time."  
  
"I mean, about me and Monica."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Me and Mon, we're meant to be together, right?"  
  
"Yeah, of course you are. What--what is it?"  
  
Chandler stared down at the floor and nervously wrung his hands. "Do you remember back when me and Mon were just friends? Way before London, I offered to be her backup all the time, and she brushed me off, saying I wasn't boyfriend material."  
  
Joey stared at him, not sure where he was going with this.  
  
Chandler continued. "Then bam, London, I'm in the right place at the right time. I'm there to comfort her, and she finally wants me again, like she did at that first Thanksgiving at the Gellers' house. We come back from London and we're still miraculously a couple. You guys find out, and everybody's happy for us. Then Vegas comes and we move in together. Then I propose, and we get married, and we're having a baby. I'm good enough for her now; I'm matured enough."  
  
Joey frowned at the unexpected sarcasm in Chandler's voice. "What--what are you saying here?"  
  
"I-I was up all night thinking about it after you left me. I remembered every moment, relived every feeling." He began to ramble and unravel. "I love Mon, I do. All her quirks, all her compulsions. She's neurotic like me, and we fix each other. We work. I love her, I still do, and I'm even ready to have kids!"  
  
"Chandler, Chandler, calm down. Nobody's doubting that. You're meant to be, you're perfect."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, Joey. That's what you say! That's what you're supposed to say."  
  
"I mean it, man. Stop looking like that."  
  
"No, I mean, if Monica loves me, she should say all that stuff you said, right? She should say we're soul mates, we're perfect, we're lobsters. All that romantic stuff she said in her vows."  
  
"Yeah, she said it! What's wrong, then?"  
  
"She's saying something different now."  
  
"Different?"  
  
"Whenever I got jealous about Richard or somebody, she used to reassure me all the time, but now... Look, remember when Phoebe met Don, that food guy that she said was Monica's soul mate, and I wasn't?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"I said that I didn't believe in soul mates, just to be macho, you know? But I do believe really. Monica taught me all about commitments and love and stuff, so why wouldn't I? Then Phoebe introduced Don to Monica, and I got scared that maybe she was right. So I finally talked to Monica about it, and she said that she didn't believe in soul mates either. She said, 'I don't think that you and I were destined to end up together. I think that we fell in love and work hard at our relationship.' She said she wasn't going to leave me for Don, and I should stop worrying."  
  
"So? There you go. Don't worry."  
  
"Don't you get it? She should have said, 'Don isn't my soul mate, you are. Phoebe's not right.' She should have talked about all our years together, and how she's loved me since London."  
  
"Maybe she just assumes you know all that stuff now."  
  
"Yeah, but why did she say she doesn't believe in soul mates? Why did she say we just 'work hard'? We all believed in lobsters when Phoebe was talking about Ross and Rachel. Did Monica change her mind because of all the craziness with Ross and Rachel, or did she change her mind about me?"  
  
"Chandler, stop it! This is nuts."  
  
"It's not nuts! I figured it out. She doesn't love me anymore; she's just used to me. She's invested too much work into this marriage to give up, and she wants babies before it's too late."  
  
"Chandler, stop it. That's crazy--!"  
  
"I love you," he said suddenly.  
  
"Huh?" Joey lost his train of thought.  
  
"I love Monica, but I love you too. I just realized it; I figured it out last night."  
  
"Love me? What, like best friends? Like brothers?"  
  
"You know what I mean. What we were talking about last night, about loving two people at once. Not being able to help it. I love you."  
  
"Chandler, I, um--"  
  
He pulled Joey close and kissed him. "Tell me you love me. You're not faking it, like Monica. You're my lobster."  
  
"Chandler, you're married, you've got the baby coming..."  
  
"I know." He swallowed guiltily. "I wish I had known all this before we tried having a baby. I wish it could have been you and me in London."  
  
"Wishes don't change things."  
  
"I know. When we get divorced, she'll probably get custody of our kid, but maybe she and Don will let me be involved anyway, like Carol and Susan let Ross be in Ben's life."  
  
Joey was horrified. "No, don't get divorced! Don't break up your family. I don't want that--"  
  
"*I* want it. I finally know how my dad felt when he ended it with my mom. Even if you don't love me, Joey, I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't be happy knowing that Monica is just settling for me."  
  
"You don't *know* that!"  
  
"I'll ask her, point-blank, today. You'll see. Just, um, just tell me you'll help me get through this. Please, Joey? If you love me as a friend at least--"  
  
"I love you. I just... love you." Joey looked into his eyes at last, brushing the hair away from his face. He kissed Chandler back with all his heart.  
  
They were still kissing and embracing when Monica walked in on them. "Oops!" she said. "Sorry, I'll come back later. Just wanted to ask about lunch."  
  
They turned to her in shock and confusion, and Chandler called out, "Wait, Monica!"  
  
She came back from the door and closed it behind her. "Yeah?"  
  
Chandler still couldn't understand her reaction. "You--you saw us, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah," she repeated, without batting an eye. Then she started to laugh a little. "You didn't think I knew, did you?"  
  
"Um, no." He glanced at Joey, who was still puzzled too. "You're--you're all right with this?"  
  
"Uh-huh." She leaned over the kitchen counter and explained herself. "Look, I-I kinda knew for over a year now how you felt about Joey. I mean, how could I ignore what I see when you guys are together? I didn't want to believe it at first; maybe I was just imagining it, you know? And if I wasn't, well... with how you felt about your dad, I didn't know if you'd ever admit it to yourself, or to Joey."  
  
She shrugged. "Who knew how Joey might respond, anyway? So why say anything if there was a chance that I could hold onto our marriage? I held onto that hope for a long time, especially when you said that you were ready to have a baby all of a sudden. But now I've faced the truth that we're just good friends who used to be more. But--but, Chandler, I really want this baby. You still want it, right, or am I just imagining it?"  
  
"I do. I want our baby."  
  
"Good!" She looked relieved. "Then we'll have a family, even if it's a little weird. So, um, I don't know if you want to stay married for the sake of the baby, or if you think it would be easier on our kid if we ended this now, before it's born. You're the child of a divorce, Chandler."  
  
"I-I... Wait, don't you want to go and find Richard again, or Don, or somebody?"  
  
"Yeah, what about you?" Joey asked.  
  
She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. That's too much to think about right now. I just want to be happy with our baby, and I want you guys to be happy, too."  
  
"Monica!" Chandler went to hug her, and Joey joined in too. "You're too good to us, Mon. I was dreading telling you about Joey. Now I know it's going to be okay, whatever we decide. All three of us."  
  
"Whoa!" Monica said, reaching for her belly. "The four of us, you mean."  
  
They all felt the baby kicking, and smiled. 


	4. Alternate Ending

For those who did not like the ending of part 3, here's an alternate ending to the story.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I love you. I just... love you." Joey looked into his eyes at last, brushing the hair away from his face. He kissed Chandler back with all his heart.  
  
They were still kissing and embracing when Monica came in, carrying one of the baby shower presents. "This is Ross's idea of a--" She screamed and dropped the toy keyboard when she saw them.  
  
Joey and Chandler broke away from each other and jumped up to their feet. "M-M-Monica!" they stammered in unison.  
  
"You--you--" She was almost too furious to speak. "That's the last time I make pancakes for you!"  
  
Joey tried bluffing. "No, no, no! He--he was just helping me rehearse for a movie where I have to kiss a man. We were doing a scene."  
  
"Come on!" She made a disgusted sound. "You don't even have the decency to do it behind locked doors! It was bad enough when I just caught you guys looking at each other all the time, but there's only so much that I can willfully ignore. I'm sick of it! Sick of it!" She kicked the keyboard savagely, then leaned on the foosball table and started to cry. "Having a husband to rub into my mother's face is just not worth this!"  
  
"Mon..." Chandler came closer. "I never meant to hurt you--"  
  
"Do you wanna lose an arm?!" she warned, not letting him touch her. She turned away and held her pregnant belly sadly. "And to think I thought you were becoming more committed to me because you suggested this baby."  
  
Joey couldn't take it, but Chandler caught his arm before he could retreat into his bedroom. "Please," he whispered. Joey reluctantly stayed.  
  
Monica swallowed and thought back over their marriage, and how it had dwindled into this hollow shell. "So this is it, huh? No more pretending. No more jokes."  
  
"No more," Chandler answered. "I'm sorry. We're both very sorry."  
  
"Shut up! You're sorry you turned out like your father, leaving your wife and kid for a man. I guess the Bing marriage curse fulfilled itself after all."  
  
"I guess it did," Chandler winced. "Look, don't worry about the baby. I'll give you alimony, child support, everything."  
  
"You damn well better!" She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Do you know how long I waited for this, Chandler? For a baby. A family."  
  
"I know," he whispered. "I know."  
  
"We all knew," Joey said, watching her face and hating how much this was hurting her.  
  
"And now it's ruined!" Monica sobbed. "I can just hear my mom now, telling me how I failed so spectacularly at my marriage. --And you know she'll blame me worse than she ever blamed Ross for his three divorces!"  
  
"Don't listen to her!" Chandler insisted. "Look, when my parents divorced, my mom blamed herself for somehow 'turning' my dad gay. She became this embarrassing, slutty alcoholic, always trying to prove that she was sexy. Don't you dare doubt yourself like that, Mon! It's not your fault. You deserve better than me. You know, somebody who can make you happy and keep you happy. Like Richard--"  
  
"Arggh!" Monica interrupted. "Richard! Why do you always have to bring him up? Sometimes I think you keep harping on him because you *want* to start a fight, because..." She paused and realized what she was saying now. "Because you really want to spend to night at Joey's."  
  
They all absorbed that in silence, until Joey cleared his throat. "Um, Monica, remember the time that you were thinking about doing artificial insemination, but you changed your mind because I pictured you with a blond guy named Hoyt?"  
  
Monica nodded numbly. "With three kids and a pool."  
  
"Hoyt?" Chandler found the name weird and pretentious. But then, possibly 'Chandler' was too.  
  
"Listen," Joey came over to Monica, "I'm gonna find you a Hoyt if it's the last thing I do. I mean, I'm the one who convinced you to wait longer, so I'm gonna find you that perfect guy."  
  
Monica was touched, and squeezed the hand that Joey offered to her. "Thank you."  
  
"It's the least I can do."  
  
"I'll help too," Chandler added.  
  
"I'm still mad at you!" Monica pointed a finger in warning.  
  
"And you've every right to be," he stepped back.  
  
"So are you... are you gonna be all right, Mon?" Joey asked her.  
  
"Yeah," she sniffled. "Yeah."  
  
They hugged, and Chandler stood watching them with a smile. There was hope after all that their friendships would survive this divorce.  
  
Monica broke away from Joey, then picked up the keyboard from the floor. "I'm gonna put this back in the nursery. Phoebe's, um, Phoebe's still expecting us for the housewarming party for her and David, remember. Let's not spoil it by telling anybody about this yet, okay? There's plenty of time tomorrow to ask Ross for the number of his divorce lawyer."  
  
They agreed, and she quietly left them alone again, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Chandler sighed in relief. "That--that wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."  
  
Joey frowned. "I still wish it didn't have to break up your family."  
  
Chandler hugged him close. "Ross and Carol get along fine now, and Ben seems okay for having two mommies and a dad. Maybe not everybody turns out like my family did."  
  
"I hope so." Joey held onto him for a long while. 


End file.
